Jeff Samardzija (Split From Colvin Con-call Thread)

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I think they're hoping for some early success in the minors combined with a lower NFL draft status than he had hoped for might convince him to stick to baseball only after his time at Notre Dame.

[1908]

So do you think the Cubs believe he's done with football, or do you think they are perfectly happy with having a raw body go play another sport and not work on pitching very much?

I think they believe there's a chance he could decide not to play in the NFL and they're willing to give him a year to figure things out, especially if they get him signed quickly and playing short-season ball this summer.

 

Are they just betting that he'll fall in the NFL draft, or that he's not serious about the 2 sport thing?

I think it's very likely he'll have to pick one sport over the other at some point, so that seems like a safe bet. I don't know if they're counting on him falling in the NFL draft or not. I think they're betting a 5th-round-pick that his love of baseball will win out. If he gets guaranteed first round money, I'll be a lot more critical of the pick.

[CubinNY]

So do you think the Cubs believe he's done with football, or do you think they are perfectly happy with having a raw body go play another sport and not work on pitching very much?

I think they believe there's a chance he could decide not to play in the NFL and they're willing to give him a year to figure things out, especially if they get him signed quickly and playing short-season ball this summer.

 

Are they just betting that he'll fall in the NFL draft, or that he's not serious about the 2 sport thing?

I think it's very likely he'll have to pick one sport over the other at some point, so that seems like a safe bet. I don't know if they're counting on him falling in the NFL draft or not. I think they're betting a 5th-round-pick that his love of baseball will win out. If he gets guaranteed first round money, I'll be a lot more critical of the pick.

 

Like craig pointed out earlier. I think they will give him some sort of back loaded contract with a little money up front and a bigger payout down the line. That way if he chooses football they'll only be out a draft pick.

 

It appears to me that they Cubs have gone "all in" with this year's draft. The draft wasn't supposed to be very deep so maybe the huge gamble was in order. But either way, I could see this going very badly for the Cubs.

[1908]

Like craig pointed out earlier. I think they will give him some sort of back loaded contract with a little money up front and a bigger payout down the line. That way if he chooses football they'll only be out a draft pick.

Can't argue with craig's logic. And they'll only be out a 5th round pick.

 

It appears to me that they Cubs have gone "all in" with this year's draft. The draft wasn't supposed to be very deep so maybe the huge gamble was in order. But either way, I could see this going very badly for the Cubs.

I don't see this as a make or break decisions by the Cubs. They could end up with nothing out of their first two picks in this draft, but that's always the most likely scenario. If they sign Jeff as craig suggests, I like the gamble. Makes for good copy and fun debates if nothing else.

[Jon]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

 

Not much else to add. I've seen those scouting reports and it just seems like there's too much weighted against this pick for my liking. When you combine his future decision about football, possibly injuries that may result from football, his poor overall college stats (especially his K/BB rates) when he has pitched, his age, etc., making up your mind to pick Samardzija and then overdrafting Colvin as a result just doesn't seem worth it to me.

 

And he probably wouldn't be on the fast track to the majors even if he decided to quit football starting in 2007. Someone like Drabek would've seemed like a better risk overall at 13 than Colvin and Samardzija.

[1908]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

I know that's what the staff at Baseball America suspects, but that might not be the case. Samardzija wasn't guaranteed to be there in the 5th round. It's possible they're just very high on Colvin.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

I know that's what the staff at Baseball America suspects, but that might not be the case. Samardzija wasn't guaranteed to be there in the 5th round. It's possible they're just very high on Colvin.

 

If you drop the "on Colvin" part from the end of that post, it's a more likely assessment in my opinion. I'm with Jon on this one.

[goonys evil twin]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

I know that's what the staff at Baseball America suspects, but that might not be the case. Samardzija wasn't guaranteed to be there in the 5th round. It's possible they're just very high on Colvin.

 

But everybody was predicting that's what they'd do. I think it's pretty hard to come up with a different storyline than what Jon is laying out.

[1908]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

I know that's what the staff at Baseball America suspects, but that might not be the case. Samardzija wasn't guaranteed to be there in the 5th round. It's possible they're just very high on Colvin.

 

If you drop the "on Colvin" part from the end of that post, it's a more likely assessment in my opinion. I'm with Jon on this one.

Fair enough. We won't know how this draft will turn out for months if not years. I don't think it's worth the angst at present.

[1908]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

I know that's what the staff at Baseball America suspects, but that might not be the case. Samardzija wasn't guaranteed to be there in the 5th round. It's possible they're just very high on Colvin.

But everybody was predicting that's what they'd do. I think it's pretty hard to come up with a different storyline than what Jon is laying out.

Many predicted them taking a flyer on Samardzija in the 5th. No one had them "overdrafting" in the first to save money to sign him until they drafted Colvin. I'm not convinced the picks are related.

[da bears]

Possibly already been asked and answered, but what are the NCAA rules in regard to this situation? Is Samardzija allowed to sign a contract and pitch for the Cubs this summer and then play football in the fall? I wouldn't think so, and maybe I read it wrong, but that's what it sounded like he wanted to do.

[1908]

Is Samardzija allowed to sign a contract and pitch for the Cubs this summer and then play football in the fall?

Yes.

[da bears]

Is Samardzija allowed to sign a contract and pitch for the Cubs this summer and then play football in the fall?

Yes.

 

I see. Seems like something the NCAA would be all up in arms about.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Is Samardzija allowed to sign a contract and pitch for the Cubs this summer and then play football in the fall?

Yes.

 

I see. Seems like something the NCAA would be all up in arms about.

 

There's only a problem with endorsements, I believe.

[Andy]

He's far and away the No. 1 WR in the draft right now, so I'd have to think he'll be a top-20 pick.

Bias is awesome.

I'm just repeating what I've heard a billion times from national media outlets like SI.com and ESPN.com since the college FB season ended...

[Andy]

Is Samardzija allowed to sign a contract and pitch for the Cubs this summer and then play football in the fall?

Yes.

 

I see. Seems like something the NCAA would be all up in arms about.

 

There's only a problem with endorsements, I believe.

I'm fairly sure that the reason Samardzija can play pro baseball is because it has nothing to do with his football play. As long as he is not making money off of his football abilities, the NCAA will let you do it. It's the same rationale that allows Tom Zbikowski to box at Madison Square Garden.

[Andy]

The Trib said "if the Cubs sign him quickly, as expected" in their article...looks like he'll probably pitch at Class A Boise this summer before returning to ND for football.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

I know that's what the staff at Baseball America suspects, but that might not be the case. Samardzija wasn't guaranteed to be there in the 5th round. It's possible they're just very high on Colvin.

But everybody was predicting that's what they'd do. I think it's pretty hard to come up with a different storyline than what Jon is laying out.

Many predicted them taking a flyer on Samardzija in the 5th. No one had them "overdrafting" in the first to save money to sign him until they drafted Colvin. I'm not convinced the picks are related.

 

Actually, the thought of overdrafting came to my mind when Stephen King popped up on BA's early-Tuesday morning mock draft. It didn't necessarily start when Colvin was drafted.

[1908]

Actually, the thought of overdrafting came to my mind when Stephen King popped up on BA's early-Tuesday morning mock draft. It didn't necessarily start when Colvin was drafted.

And you had that overdraft idea connected to drafting Samardzija at the time?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Actually, the thought of overdrafting came to my mind when Stephen King popped up on BA's early-Tuesday morning mock draft. It didn't necessarily start when Colvin was drafted.

And you had that overdraft idea connected to drafting Samardzija at the time?

 

No, I just was worried about a pre-draft deal in the first round if the Cubs were going after a player no other team was interested in taking in the first round.

 

I like the Samardzija pick, don't like the Colvin pick.

[Jon]

They'll be out of a 5th round pick, but the decision also cost them an overdraft with their 1st round pick.

I know that's what the staff at Baseball America suspects, but that might not be the case. Samardzija wasn't guaranteed to be there in the 5th round. It's possible they're just very high on Colvin.

No, we don't know for certain. Personally, though, it's enough for me to make that jump.

 

Not that I'm terribly familiar with Wilken, but Colvin just doesn't make sense to me otherwise.

[TruffleShuffle]

Hey, the Cubs had some other drafts that were graded very highly but produced crap for the big squad... so you never know, this draft that seems pretty lousy could turn out to be really good.

 

 

 

But probably not. It's the Cubs.

[CubbieRich]

A guy from Baseball Prospectus was on with Kaplan. The gist was that Samardzija had discussions with other teams about drafting him in earlier rounds. He said he wanted to sign with the Cubs and if another team drafted him, he would ask for alot more money. My questions are: If he is so good, why didn't some other team call his bluff? And the same story about taking him in the 5th round was in one of the Chicago papers on Tuesday morning-prior to the draft. How did they know all about it?

 

As to picking Colvin, BP says the Cubs went to a few players and basically said 'We know that you're not a #13 pick and not worth major bucks. We'll take you if promise not to ask for too much.' Why not select a better player at #13, if you have the money and can afford to sign both?

 

It was agreed, if the Bears or Bulls did something like this..they would be roasted here.

[CUBZ99]

A guy from Baseball Prospectus was on with Kaplan. The gist was that Samardzija had discussions with other teams about drafting him in earlier rounds. He said he wanted to sign with the Cubs and if another team drafted him, he would ask for alot more money. My questions are: If he is so good, why didn't some other team call his bluff? And the same story about taking him in the 5th round was in one of the Chicago papers on Tuesday morning-prior to the draft. How did they know all about it?

 

As to picking Colvin, BP says the Cubs went to a few players and basically said 'We know that you're not a #13 pick and not worth major bucks. We'll take you if promise not to ask for too much.' Why not select a better player at #13, if you have the money and can afford to sign both?

 

It was agreed, if the Bears or Bulls did something like this..they would be roasted here.

 

The Football and Basketball drafts are more closely watched than baseball. Most casual baseball fans don't have a clue about any of the guys the Cubs drafted. All they can rely on is BA or some scout's analysis.

[CubbieRich]

Picking a 17 year old for what he will mature into 10 years later is tough.

The NBA draft is rigged from the aspect of picking positions. They do it in some backroom and then have an accounting firm say it was on the up and up. I don't buy it. They got burned during the Patrick Ewing draft class by allegedly putting the Knicks card in a freezer before the draft. When Stern reached in the bowl, he avoided the colder card until the end. However a number of fans saw the precipitation on the inside of the bowl and asked some pretty pointed questions. Since then it's behind closed doors.